Al Knorr--Stop the War
One the very few things I missed about leaving my previous library were the patrons--the ones I grew to know as acquaintances and friends. Yesterday I even got one from one of my favorites, Walt, a Shakespeare afficianado, who brought me up to speed on the remodeling project and complained that "his" bust of the bard would no longer be on display.
My first few months at LPL were a bit isolating since I literally didn't know anyone, save for my new co-workers. Graudally, I started to learn the names and personalities of folks they started to call me by name and ask how I liked La Crosse. I can say that today, on my 6 month anniversary (I assume I'm off probation, right, Kelly?), I'm feeling at home here on the second floor.
Al Knorr was someone I had read about even before I moved to La Crosse. I found an article about him when I was searching for information about the community. He's a well-known, long-time community activist whose recent passion, the Iraq War, was highlighted in a Chicago Tribune article early in 2006. It didn't take me long to get to know Al as one of our treasured regular patrons. As he was doing when the Tribune article came out, Al can still be seen on sidewalks and street corners all over town, regardless of the weather, holding his "Stop the War" sign. I give him a honk of support whenever I see him, but earlier this week found him outside of Central High School where I was dropping off Juniorette. I hopped out, shook his hand, chatted a bit and asked if I could take his photo. So, here's Al, a community treasure and another reason I'm glad to be here.
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